Jerry Yees, the director of the competition, stood at the center of the competitors, trying to find their chosen seats and opponents.

As soon as the games began, chatter quieted, and the dominating sounds were soon the high clicks of chess players tapping their competition clocks and the dull clunk of chess pieces slamming down on the boards.

“It opens doors in your brain. It teaches discipline,” said Yees. “But there’s a lot of stigma that goes with people who play chess. They think that only nerds and geeks play it.”

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This is not the case, he said.

Yees started playing chess in elementary school but renewed his enthusiasm once his son, Michael, took interest in the game.

“My son started playing and was very good. He became a chess master at 15. I discovered my passion once I started teaching kids,” said Yees.

Holding a clipboard and chomping on a piece of gum, Tatev Abrahamyan, 25, wove through the competitors, her bright purple hair contrasting with the blondes and brunettes of the crowd.

Abrahamyan, a chess coach and the third-ranked female chess player in the United States, had several students competing.

Her introduction to chess started at age eight while she was with her father at work.

“My dad was cleaning out his office and that’s when I found a chess set. I asked him ‘What’s that?’ and he showed me,” said Abrahamyan.

About 165 contestants competed in five sections based on age and/or ranking, each section awarding trophies to the top 11, Yees said. Top finishers also received gift cards.